“What to? It looks as though it’s been worn.”
“Just put fifty quid on it. Somebody will want it for that.”
Hannah already had her purse out when the girl arrived back at the counter. “I’ll take it.”
“Don’t you want to try it on first?”
“No, thanks. I’ll make it fit, at that price.”
The girl chuckled, and placed the dress in a bag.
Diane appeared a few minutes later, but put most of the items back. She settled on a plain navy blouse and a cerise pink vest top.
Hannah was walking on air for the rest of the day. She loved getting bargains—she put it down to her Irish blood. She wasn’t stingy by any means, but she wasn’t frivolous, either. Now, she just needed to arrange a night out to show it off.
They were in great spirits by the time they arrived home, laden with bags. They’d bought several bottles of wine and a selection of pre-made finger food to take to Simon’s flat later.
Hannah was looking forward to seeing Simon again. She’d actually missed him, considering she’d only known him for a day.
She unpacked her bags, and freshened up, before going next door.
Diane’s chatter greeted her, as she pushed the door open. “It’s only me.”
Simon met her in the hall, and pulled her into his arms for a bear hug.
Hannah squealed, and held the supermarket bags out to her sides, unable to hug him back.
He ushered her through to the lounge where Diane sat, an almost empty glass of wine in her hand. “Hello, you. Long-time no see!”
“You didn’t waste much time.” Hannah nodded at her glass.
“We considered waiting for you, didn’t we, Si? But, the wine had begun to evaporate—you were taking so long.”
“A likely story.” She smiled. “I brought some nibbles, Simon. Shall I grab a couple of plates?”
The evening began with much laughter and frivolity. Hannah, once again, found herself marvelling at how close they’d all become in such a short space of time.
Simon got his acoustic guitar out after a few drinks, and they all sang along to the limited number of songs he had in his repertoire. One of the songs he insisted they sang was the most annoying song Hannah had ever heard called Agadoo. He even insisted they do an equally silly dance to go with it, and had them laughing hysterically when Hannah and Simon discovered Diane didn’t know her left from her right. She blamed the booze, of course.
At the end of the night, Simon escorted them back to their flats. They kissed Diane goodnight, and when they reached Hannah’s door, Simon surprised her by going in for a proper kiss.
She hesitated at first, but he tasted so nice, she found herself kissing him back. She drew a halt to any more shenanigans, when his hand began snaking up her top.
“Oh, no, you don’t, mister.” She ducked out of his embrace, and quickly put the key in the door.
“Come on, Hannah. We’re both adults.”
“That doesn’t mean we should jump into bed with each other.” She laughed. “And besides, I like you too much.”
He raised his eyebrows comically. “Don’t you go falling in love with me, lady.”
“Be quiet, silly. I mean we get on well as friends. I’d prefer to keep it that way.”
He shrugged. “Well, you know where I am, if you change your mind.”
“I do, indeed.”
She entered the flat, and closed the door, leaning against it for a moment. She had been tempted to allow him in. It had been ages since she’d had a boyfriend, but she knew Simon wasn’t boyfriend material. Plus, he was heading back to the States in a few weeks.
Chapter 6
On Monday morning, Hannah bumped into Max Myers in the lift. There were just the two of them, and no distractions. She nodded at him, and looked down at her feet.
“Hello, Hannah,” he said.
“Hi.” Her voice sounded croaky, so she cleared her throat. “Hi.” She tried again, giving him an embarrassed smile.
“I was meaning to seek you out today.”
Her breath caught in her throat, as she hesitantly gazed up at him.
He grinned. “Don’t look so frightened. I only wanted to ask how you’re settling in.”
“Oh, I thought I was in trouble.”
“Not at all. I’ve heard nothing but high praise about you.” He raised his eyebrows expectantly.
Hannah panicked, confused about what he was waiting for.
“So? How’s it going?”
“Oh.” She sighed heavily, and nodded. “Great actually. Everybody’s been so kind to me, and the systems are the same as at the Daily Post, so it hasn’t taken me long to get into the swing of things.”
“I’m pleased to hear it.”
The doors opened at her floor, and she rushed towards them at the same moment he did. They crashed into each other, sending her bag and phone clattering to the floor.
“I’m sorry,” he said, reaching down to retrieve the phone at his feet. “I hope it’s not broken.”
She pressed the on button, and nothing happened. Then, suddenly, the screen lit up. “It’s okay,” she said. As she looked up at him, she realised he’d moved closer to her so he could also see the phone, and their faces were almost touching.
He sprang back, seeming flustered, then followed her onto the marketing floor. “We have the weekly meeting. Are you coming?”
“I wasn’t aware,” she stammered.
“That’s okay. You missed last week’s, as you were with Angela for your induction. It’s quite informal. Nothing to worry about.”
She bobbed her head, feeling like a dork. “I’ll just…” She indicated to her bag and phone.
“Of course.”
She dropped her things off on her desk and ran to the bathroom. She couldn’t believe the way he made her feel. She should’ve just taken the plunge with Simon on Saturday. At least she had a shot with him.
Checking her reflection in the mirror, she took a couple of bracing breaths, before heading back to the open-plan area, where everyone had begun to congregate.
*
At lunchtime, she decided a session in the gym was what she needed to occupy her mind. She’d signed up the previous week and had been forcing herself to attend daily.
Down in the basement, she opened her locker. It was empty.
Confused, she double-checked the number on the key matched the number on the locker. It did. She knew it would anyway. She was always one to keep things symmetrical wherever possible, and she’d chosen this particular locker, from the choices presented to her, because it was third from the left, third from the bottom, and third from the top. Where the hell were her things?
The gym instructor was busy showing several people how to use a weight machine, so she gave up on the idea of the gym and headed to the staff cafeteria.
After ordering a coffee, she chose a seat at the back of the room, and took out her phone. She’d downloaded the Kindle app, and would often read a book on the train, or if she had any spare time on her hands.
“Still working, then?” A man’s voice infiltrated her thoughts.
She glanced up, startled to see Max standing beside her table, a tray in his hands.
“I—I’m sorry?”
“The phone—it’s still working?”
“It is,” she said.
“Mind if I join you?” He nodded at the table.
She screamed internally, all the time smiling at him. “Of course not. Take a seat.”
He sat opposite her.
Hannah was so glad she hadn’t ordered any food. There was no way she’d be able to eat a bite with his beautiful brown eyes staring at her.
He had no such issue. He chowed down on a cheese sandwich hungrily, and followed it with a strawberry slice.
“You not eating?” He pointed at her cup.
“Not hungry.”
“I don’t know how anybody can go all day without eating.”
She shrugged. �
��I always eat breakfast.”
“You should try one of these slices. They’re the best in the country.”
She smirked. “In the country? That’s a bold statement.”
“One I am willing to stake my life on, if I must.”
“Maybe I’ll try one sometime.” She smiled.
“I should warn you—as soon as you’ve eaten one, you’ll be hooked.”
She laughed. “Thanks for your concern, but I’m willing to take the risk.”
“A woman after my own heart—weigh up the pitfalls, and do it anyway.”
She glanced at her watch and gasped, scrambling to her feet. “I’ve got to go. Thanks for the chat.”
She sped towards the lift, but inside, she felt as giddy as a pup. There had been at least twenty empty tables, yet he’d chosen hers. Maybe he felt the attraction after all.
As she reached her office, she noticed Angela Beanie at her desk.
“Hi. Sorry I’m late. Do we have a meeting arranged?” Hannah asked.
Angela got to her feet and shook her head. “No, but you’re not making a good impression, are you? Just one week in and already you’re displaying shoddy timekeeping.”
Hannah was dumbstruck. She’d never seen the other woman act like this before. “I-I’m sorry. It won’t happen again. I assure you.” She felt the blood rush to her face.
“See that it doesn’t.” With that, Angela stomped from the office.
“What have you done to upset her?” Dawn, the girl on the desk in front of her, whispered.
“I have no idea.” Hannah stared at the doorway Angela had recently vacated, shaking her head.
*
After work, Hannah returned to the gym, and checked her locker one final time, before seeking out the gym assistant.
“Excuse me. I think somebody’s been in my locker.”
The muscular woman in her twenties seemed surprised. “Really? What makes you think that?”
“Because my gym bag is missing.” Hannah shrugged.
“Yes. That would do it.” The woman smiled. “But, I’m sure there must be some perfectly simple explanation. We’ve never had anything like this happen before.”
“Well, it seems it’s happened now.” Hannah got the feeling she didn’t believe her.
The assistant held her hand out for the key.
Hannah handed it over, and followed the woman to the lockers, then stood by, while she opened the door and flung it wide open.
“See. What did I tell you?”
“It’s certainly empty. Are you sure you didn’t take the bag home by mistake?”
“No. I left it here, so I’d have a change of clothes and a towel for the gym. There’d be no point taking it home.”
“I guess not. We’ll need to report it to security. Like I said, we’ve never had any problems before.”
Hannah didn’t like the woman’s lackadaisical attitude. “Don’t worry. I’ll report it to security myself.”
***
Don was thrilled to see Hannah step from the lift. He pulled down his jacket and stood up straight.
She approached him with a smile.
“Good evening, miss. What can I do for you?”
“I seem to have lost my gym bag.”
“Oh, that won’t do. Where did you last have it?”
“That’s just the thing. I left it in my locker.”
“In your locker? Was there any sign the lock’s been tampered with?”
She shook her head. “Not that I could see.”
“Let’s get some information, and I’ll look into it for you.” He reached behind his desk, and pulled out a piece of paper and a pen. “So, what’s missing?”
“Nothing fancy. Just my gym kit. An Adidas sports bag, white cropped t-shirt and shorts set, sports bra and undies, a pair of socks, and a pair of Reebok trainers with pink trim.”
“Okay, leave it with me. I’m sure they’ll turn up. You may have left the locker open, and the cleaners could have put your belongings away for safekeeping.”
Hannah nodded. “I hope so. Thank you.”
“My pleasure. I’ll be in touch in the next day or two.”
She turned to leave. “I appreciate it. Have a good evening.”
“Sweet dreams, Hannah,” he whispered, once she was out of earshot.
***
The next morning, Hannah arrived at her workstation to find a message to contact security. She picked up the phone and pressed number nine on the internal system.
“Steven Miller.”
“Hello, Mr Miller. My name is Hannah McLaughlin. I’ve received a message to contact you regarding my missing gym bag.”
“Ah, thanks for getting back to me, Ms McLaughlin. I’m pleased to inform you we’ve located your bag.”
“Have you? Great! Where was it?”
“It was discovered in the unused locker next to your own. We can only assume you put it in that one by mistake, and then locked your locker without realising.”
“Really? Oh, I feel such a fool. I’m sorry to have caused you any trouble.”
“No trouble at all, miss. Mistakes happen. We’ve placed your belongings back into the correct locker using the master key.”
“I can’t thank you enough.”
Hannah was confused—she was certain she’d put her clothes into the correct locker.
The lift swished open, and Max stepped out. All thoughts of her gym bag were instantly forgotten.
***
Steve Miller had been Head of Security for sixteen years. Back then, AdCor was part of the HGT Newspaper group. He’d begun his career as a 19-year-old police cadet, and served twenty-five years in the police force. He was pleased he’d got out when he had—life on the streets of Manchester was getting tougher by the day.
His son, Kyle, had been the General Manager for HGT in Birmingham at the time, and had asked him if he would set up the security at the company’s new head office. Steve hadn’t looked back. He enjoyed his role, and had every faith in his staff.
However, his job had changed over the years. After 9/11, security across the world had been up-scaled, and AdCor was no exception. But, he was fortunate to be part of a reliable and loyal team. Mostly.
He had ten staff under him, and the only one he didn’t get along with was Don Henry. Don was the one who gave him headaches, and always seemed to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. He’d been made night supervisor purely on a time served basis, not on his skills. Don wasn’t a team player. He couldn’t wait to point out other people’s mistakes. He’d never cover for his colleagues, and instead, would try to drop them in the shit at any opportunity. If management called looking for Steve, Don would say he didn’t know where he was—even insinuate he was never around, and the rest of the team had to pick up the slack. When confronted, he’d deny it, of course.
Another thing, which drove Steve to distraction, was the way Don would try to undermine him. Steve guessed it was because Don was the next longest serving member of the team. He was the second-in-command, and perhaps, in his mind, next in line for the Head of Security. But, since Don had been put on permanent nights, his and Steve’s paths rarely crossed.
Steve had considered hanging up his uniform for an easier life. He wanted to be off fishing, or spending quality time with his seven grandchildren. But, if Steve was to put anyone forward for his position, it certainly wouldn’t be Don Henry.
***
At morning break, Hannah was sitting alone on the comfy lime-green leather sofa in the communal coffee area. She had made herself a strawberry and rhubarb tea, and was munching on a croissant left over from one of her colleague’s birthday breakfast. For once, the floor was peaceful as she sat in a daydream.
Her thoughts returned to her gym bag. She was certain she’d put it in her own locker. Why would somebody swap the lockers over? It didn’t make sense. She felt frustrated. Not because it wasn’t like her to do such a thing, but because she’d also kicked up a stink, making her appear
stupid.
“Good morning, Hannah.”
It took a moment for the voice to jolt her from her daydream. She opened her eyes to see Max standing beside her. “Oh! Sorry, I was a world away.”
“That’s okay. Is everything all right?” He brushed his floppy fringe out of his face.
“Yes, fine, thanks. I’ve just got a few things on my mind. Nothing serious.”
“Good. I came to see you this morning, but I got distracted.” He sat beside her.
She could smell his citrusy aftershave and it was making her feel heady. “Okay.”
“I’ve had an email from Danny Leno. Do you remember him? You met him last week.”
“Yes, of course. He’s the scary man—the underwear king.”
“That’s the one. He’s a pussycat, really.”
She loved the way Max’s eyes twinkled when something amused him.
“Well, I don’t know what you said to him, but he’s requested you work on his campaign.”
“Really?”
He nodded slowly. “Do you feel ready? Obviously you won’t be on your own.”
“I suppose.”
“He wants to meet with you on Friday evening. For dinner.”
“Oh. Is that usual?” She didn’t like the thought of meeting the fiery man out of office hours.
“Yes, and no. With somebody as important as him, we bend the rules a little. But, don’t worry. I’ll come along, too.”
She pressed her lips together. “Okay. I’d feel better if you did.”
He got to his feet. “Great. I’ll send a car for you at 7pm.”
And with that, he was gone.
Although petrified at the thought of being summoned for a meeting with Danny Leno, the bombastic owner of a string of lingerie stores, Hannah was thrilled to be able to spend a little more time in the company of Max. She was under no illusions—it was purely a business meeting. Nothing else. But, dreams were free.
The Watcher : A Chilling Serial Killer Thriller Page 4